WHAT CAUSES SIDS??

At this time it is not known how or why SIDS happens.  The first year of life is a time of rapid growth and development when any baby may be vulnerable to SIDS.  New research by Dr. Kinney and the SIDS Center of Excellence at Harvard University/Boston Children's Hospital provides more conclusive evidence that SIDS babies have a brain disorder, and that this disorder develops both in uterus and continues after birth.  The abnormality identified has to do with the brainstem's ability to use and recycle serotonin, a brain chemical which plays a role in communications between brain cells.  Serotonin is most well known for its role in regulating mood, but it also plays a role in regulating vital functions like breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, and arousal.

Researchers question how babies who die from SIDS might be different.  Statistics tell us:

• More babies die during the cold weather months
• Babies who sleep on their stomachs have an increased risk
• More babies die whose mothers smoked during and after their pregnancy
• The younger the mother, the greater the baby's risk
• Occurs most often in infants two to four months of age--90% of all SIDS babies are under six months.
• Premature babies, low-birth weight infants, twins and triplets have a higher likelihood